Of Dreamsharing and Life
by PippaFrost
Summary: I don't need to tell you about the war, or the Truce or about how dreamsharing came into the picture. No. This is a story about three kids that met each other and that's it. How this story develops... well that's a whole other question. And all you need to know is that it all started with a pickpocket, a cardsharp and a decoy... First Inception fanfic, AU. Hope you like like :)
1. Somewhere called Mirage

**Hello!**

**First of all, I'm Pipps and this is my first Inception fanfic, so please be nice :)**

**So far i've only written rise of the guardians stories, but i love inception and other fandoms as well, and i'll be writing about them soon, i wish you like :D**

**Second of all, i speak spanish so i'm sorry for any grammar mistakes or others.**

**So please enjoy and review anytime and anything you want (good or bad) and just so you know i'll always answer any reviews in every next chapter! ****Enjoy!**

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It would be a lie to say that this story is about how dreamsharing was born; even thought said theme does have a considerable importance to it. It would also be a lie to say that it's about the Trance, or what was left of it; or about the Truce, or the war, or any of those things that should matter history wise.

No. This is a story about a bunch of kids. And that's all there really is to it.

You see, whether this takes place before or after your current life hardly matters. But you need to know about it to understand this story. So, here we go.

As most things, this started with a war. A huge war. Be it for money, rights, food… it doesn't matter, the point is that it happened, and all that was left were a handful of broken lands and survivors.

With little to no useful ground were to settle, people started to get together and build a home, if you could actually call it that. Towns started to appear, far from each other, separated by whether frozen or dried lands. They could have done better. But they could also have done worst.

However, as in any kind of society, no matter how broken and small, rich people didn't take long to make an appearance.

When there's a war there are hardly ever any winners, but there are always the ones that loose little to nothing. These people needed a place to settle and thanks to the already arranged towns with good ground, they needn't wait.

Soon, these little towns became villages and cities. And after a few years there was little memory of the war that had created all this.

Cities grew wider and wealthier and soon it was as if nothing had ever happened.

This period, was called The Truce. Soon enough a market and communication system was developed between lands and a Leader Government was formed to unite them. And there was peace.

Of course, that's not even the half of it, now is it?

No. Of course not.

Whatever problems each land may have had are not really our problem, instead we're focusing on the Southern Lands. The poorest one.

See, after everything that had happened there were no intercontinental relationships, and with continents we mean islands. Huge islands, but islands nonetheless.

The continent where this story takes place is the Pacific Island. Here, there were four main Lands: Northern, Western… you know the drill.

Each of them had once been a somewhere, maybe a place you once knew even. But now… it depended on who you asked. For example, in this case. The Southern Land was the poorest of the Continent. It consisted on a main city -actually the only city- surrounded by kilometers of dead ground.

This big city was called Mirage. Call it funny, wicked, asshole-ishly ironic, whatever you want. This city hardly stood for the concept you may know. Well, maybe not. While it had no walls inside, it was separated in well defined districts. People with good life and means lived in the center of the city, with well designed roads and architecture. The further you got from the center, the further you got from a dream life. And for the wealthy people, those peripheral districts didn't even exist, nor the people living in them.

It was in one of those districts where out story begins. And it all started with a pickpocket, a cardsharp and a decoy…

But first, let's start from scratch.

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**Well, that's all for now, i actually changed this chapter cause i wasn't sure about the original one, so sorry for any troubles. Please tell me what you thought!**

**Hugs and snowflakes for now!**

**Pipps**


	2. Dominic Cobb

**Hello! Second chapter!**

**Please tell me what you think :)**

**Oh and after the third one they will be longer!**

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Each Continent has its own general rules and dates. They even have different years, but these years are hardly taken on account, they've almost been forgotten actually. However, we'll stick to them for now.

It was on year twenty four, Pacific Land dating (PLd), that Dominic Cobb was born.

He was born in an awful southern district of Mirage, but definitely not the worst one. His mother was a Trader, and she knew from experience how babies' expenses more often than not exceeded the profits. So, as many others, she left the blonde child in a common orphanage up north of the district.

Orphanages weren't common, but then neither were kids. Most people didn't really care about parenting or didn't even think about it as they had better things to worry about than sex, such as hunger and dying from tuberculosis. Prostitutes often were infertile, had natural abortions or dropped the kids for their own luck.

Kids that made it through the first few years of life where often used as stealing tools in public fairs or middle class market centers. Only a few worked in the trading market as you could never get much gain unless you had certain abilities, meaning being sharp.

In this orphan he was given his name: Dominic (he was found at the entrance of the building on a Sunday morning) Cobb (from the nick name of the guy who found him, Jacob). There were only a few workers who actually gave a damn about children there, but you couldn't really ask for cuddles when people around you are trying to feed more than ten kids of different ages.

He never really made any friends there. And the only woman who cared enough to scold him for disappearing was dead by the time he was seven. An old grumpy lady anyways.

He was blonde with green blue eyes which gave him the advantage of looking harmless or at least naïve. He was no idiot, and making the most of this aspect he improved the art of pick pocketing fairly quickly.

However, it was around this time that things went to hell.

During this time, when he was about seven years old and frequented the fairs for cash and food, the Guards had started to make more and more rounds in the district and soon enough they were burning down the settlement's outer limits.

Back at the time Dominic didn't get to ask himself many questions about what had happened. He had made sure to follow the fairs so could still eat, not really caring about a roof to sleep under. Sadly, winter was around the corner and the guards were still making rounds from time to time. People took advantage of this and started to grant roof in exchange of money. Of course, whether your things got 'lost' or broken, wasn't their problem. And they had no shame to announce every three days that the rent had gone up two coins.

Dominic could barely stand it, but it was winter. However, those excuses weren't enough after he woke up to hands holding him down and trying to get anything they could from his shoes and pockets.

He was eight by then. He left and for two days slept under some rubbish pile along with dogs. On the third day, he met Eames.

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**That's it, i'm posting the third one i a few and then chapter should start being more dinamic :)**

**Hugs and snowflakes**

**Pipps**


	3. Eames

**Alright, this will be all for now, i wanted to write this few chapters but i gotta keep going with my other stories :)**

**Please tell me what you think! Enjoy!**

**Oh! and i don't own inception! Kind of an stupid statement though-it's pretty obvious that i don't.**

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It was about seven in the morning when Dominic arrived to the furthest fair he could find. He had run from the shelter in the middle of the night and was freezing; he needed some food and clothes to start the day.

He didn't really know where he was, so he took an hour or so to observe and get to know the field. After learning how things worked: head for the center, avoid the old woman at the right and talk to the fat guy in front of the eggs not be acknowledged as a total estranger.

Before ten am he had two rings and eight coins. Nothing too fancy for a poor part of what had been left of the old district. He had talked to the fat man, Kyle. Nice dude, apparently he had the money not to care about a kid who was obviously stealing.

He was going for the watch hanging from a woman in her forties when he was stopped by a voice.

"You know" he turned around to find a kid of about his height with dark hair "with your hand and my cards we could make a solid team" he crossed his arms "You're too obvious though, mate"

"What do you want?"

"To tell you that with your hand and my cards with would make a solid team. But you're too obvious" he stated with a smirk "You're not from here are you?"

"You ain't either if the accent is anything to go by" Dominic countered. But the kid in front of him just laughed.

"Eames's the name" the kid offered his hand, to which the blonde one merely squinted.

"Dominic" he said with a nod towards him, not taking his hand.

"Dominic what?" Eames said with a crooked smile as he crossed his arms.

"Cobb" he answered with a frown "You?"

"Does it matter?" and he took a cigarette from his pocket.

"You smoke?" he asked while thinking: _With what money?_

"Nope, but makes them think I can't run with my shitty lungs" he nodded to the crowd. Dominic fought the urge to smirk.

"Anyway, don't change the subject, what's your full name?"

"You changed it. And, again, does it matter?"

"I told you mine!"

"Did I make you?"

"No! But it's important information!" which wasn't a lie. People knowing your name was never good.

"Well I told you my smoking secret" he shrugged "Call it even?"

"So what, you're just Eames?"

"Yes, Dom"

"It's Dominic" and Eames smirked.

"Sure"

…

Eames was a regular eight years old. He had brown hair which he tended to smooth to the right and grey eyes. He had been born two districts away from Dom's and after the fire he had had to 'relocate', as he liked to put it, and had ended up at this new fair.

His mother was a prostitute who, for some reason, had kept him with her. Thanks to that he literally knew his way around the most kinds of business and liked the good stuff deep pocket people got to have.

When he was five his mothers died from normal sexual diseases and the owner kept him for economic interests. Kids had small hands after all; hands that could easily reach most pockets and purses.

When he was seven and smarter, the guards started the fire near the owners' 'residence' and he took that chance to turn away from his former 'home'. He couldn't stop snorting at the word every time he thought about it.

He made a life near the fair quite easily. He wasn't stupid, and his ways were a charm. Plus, and maybe what made the difference between him and the blonde kid he would one day meet, he never turned down the chance to gain new acquaintances. You just had to know how to handle them.

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**Well, that's it! i'll keep going of course but it also depends on the acceptance this gets :)**

**Hugs and snowflakes!**

**Pipps**


	4. Arthur

**Hello!**

**Face in the hall : thank you so much! I was going to PM you but i wanted to answer as i always do through here. Well as you can see from the tittle of course it was time for Arthur to make an appearance ;) You have no idea how happy your review made me feel! Thank you so much for taking the time to read this little story! You are the only person who has reviewed or anything so far and i can't thank you enough for that. Fanfics are for readers after all, so the fact that you are reading this is enough for me to keep writing it. So i mean it. Thank you! 3**

**First chapters have been introducctions but then it will be about the three of them and their relationship! Have you ever seen One Piece? This was inspired in Luffy's childhood, if you know what i'm talking about you'll get it, if you don't it doesn't matter at all.**

**Anyway, disclaimer: i don't own anything! (wouln't be writing this if i did, i would be freaking making a movie of it!) I don't own inception or one piece for that matter :)**

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Soon enough, and as Dominic would soon learn to be the case in most situations, the Eames kid got his way and they ended up being 'acquaintances'.

Dominic had never cared for such things and he definitely wasn't about to start now. You couldn't really trust people in the districts, weren't their lives proof enough? Yet, before he knew it, he was working more and more frequently with Eames.

Be it as it may, they kid had been right. They did make a pretty good team. Dominic, or Cobb -as Eames usually called him. _Hey, I'm not saying that name every time, life's too short, so it's your call: either Dom or Cobb_, he had said. And Dom sounded way too friendly. No one, and he meant that, had ever called him that and Eames would definitely not be the first- was the best when it came to pick pocketing and Eames wasn't only the best with cards, he was also a great con man, or at least he would surely be in the future. The guy could have been an actor even.

Together, they were able to get thrice the gains each of them made on their own. And even though Cobb -as he soon got used to being called- had a rule against people in general and Eames had a strict business policy, and they would both take a long time to realize or god forbid admit it, they soon became _real_ 'mates' as Eames would say, meaning friends.

However, there's a difference between friends and _friends_. And they only got to learn that once Arthur came along.

See, as they got comfortable around each other and around the new formed district, they were soon able to make their way towards wealthier districts near their own. And it was in one of these districts where they met him.

And yes. You've guessed right.

He was the decoy.

…

They were nine now, and things were pretty good.

Eames had always had contacts and experience to know where and where not to step into and they had plenty of places where to crash. For them, just as for most people in their district, it was all about survival.

However, there was only so much fun you could have by surviving, as Eames would say. And truth be told, they were running out of district-place to work with, soon enough everybody would know their faces well enough to make it impossible for them to steal.

So far, they knew their way around two districts beside their own: the one above theirs and the one at their east side, so they decided to get a look at the one at their west side.

The first two days they only surveyed the area, and on the third day the decided to make an easy little scam as a way to taste the waters if you may. Everything, as expected, worked out perfectly. Even though it was weird for people to move between districts in general, kids had always been an exception to most rules and it was even more so after the fires. So there were lots of new people moving around each district.

They were visiting the new district for the fifth time and that specific fair down north for the third time when it happened. They would later know that Arthur had learned about their existence from the first time they had stepped on that sector. But they had never once seen him before.

People usually distrusted people in general, but thanks to the fire and all there were enough incautious idiots out there that still hadn't been mugged by kids enough to make them stop trusting them and thinking about them as harmless. Pff… idiots.

As always, Eames started to play with his cards while Cobb hid nearby. Soon enough there was a crowd watching a man play with him. A bunch of younger kids were watching as well, making Cobb's job even easier.

Too bad for them that they didn't hear the Guards arrive.

All of a sudden, two Guards were standing over Eames, studying the little box he was using as a table. Of course, they had already thought about what to do for any scenario they might find themselves in, so there was nothing to fear. Yet.

Cobb stayed still between some women and quietly made his way towards the one who was holding a baby. That would help him look more innocent and not drive much attention. He couldn't run from the crowd or he would be spotted in the act. So he kept his head down and focused on Eames and thinking about the best possible way out.

Eames had seen them when they were still a few good feet away, but running wasn't an option, that would be as useful as giving himself up. And that was a no-no, thank you very much. Plus, this wouldn't be his first nor last encounter face to face with guards. He was good for a reason after all.

"So, playing cards, huh kid?"

"Hi, yeah. You wanna play?" he asked innocently, but not so much as to look like an idiot.

"You're not from here" the other one said "Bet he's been stealing" he said to the people.

"Oh, not at all Sir" a young woman said "He has lost as well, too"

"Really? So…" he looked at Eames "If I started to register this people" he said with a glace towards the crowd "People wouldn't find out that they're missing coins?"

Cobb had been listening to the whole thing and new where the guy was going as soon as he started his sentence. Shit, he thought. He started to look around, knowing that people would start checking their pockets, and that's when he saw him.

A few feet away, also in the middle of the crowd, there was a little kid with dark hair looking straight at him. And just as the stupid guard finished his little line, and with one quick movement, the kid grabbed a rock from the ground as he yanked a woman's shawl.

Everything just went by in a blur then. The shawl flew along with a bag full of bread as two old women fell to the floor. There was a lot of noise, the sound of rocks against the pavement and somehow the beautiful sound of metal coins hitting the ground made its way through the crows before being drowned by the ruckus of the people hitting and kicking and yelling in order to grab at least one of the little metal chips.

Cobb didn't know what to think. The kid had disappeared and with one quick glance towards Eames he was running away from there. Trying to find a good hiding spot and glancing back to make sure nobody was paying attention to him, he came across some wooden boxes and hid behind them trying to catch a glimpse of Eames.

However, hell had already broken lose and people were running and pushing and shoving as they realized that they were in fact missing their possessions and more Guards run to the site of the conflict in order to return the order they so much loved. Cobb and Eames had always made sure to have back plans for cases such as this one. However, and to their bad luck, the Guards had gotten to see them and recognize them as estrangers, so they were looking for them as their newly arrived comrades took care of the situation at hand.

They were starting to arrest people and he couldn't see Eames. He couldn't. And suddenly there was a 'pst' kind of sound and behind him, hidden in the small alley formed between two really close house walls, there was the kid from before. The same that had created that whole mess. He looked at Cobb straight in the eye for a few seconds before turning away. The message was clear.

He followed the kid down the ridiculously narrow alley making a few turns along the way, only to find himself behind an old cabin standing in front of Eames. He had his arms crossed and amused expression at seeing him.

"What-?!" Cobb started before being interrupted by Eames laugher.

"What would be your name mate?" he asked the little kid who merely looked at him in the eye expressionless.

"I'm Arthur"

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**So that's it! Please tell me what you think! **

**Hugs and snowflakes!**

**Pipps**


	5. Hypothetical gain

**Hello!**

**Well, here's another chapter! I really don't know if anyone is still reading this, but i still wanna give this a try! I'll soon be writing another fanfic but with normal -non kid- fanfic where arthur's hurt, so maybe you'll read that one more than this one? I don't know. So hre it is. Sorry for the wait! Uni and inspiration made a riot against me!**

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"Well, _Arthur_" Eames said "What did you do back there? We had everything under control"

"Right" Arthur crossed his arms. Cobb was still shaken from what had just happened. Truth be told, that kid had saved their asses.

"Hey!" Eames frowned, although Dom could see a hint of amusement, the hint that would usually make company to any sort of emotion visiting Eames' mind.

"Eames" he tried to stop him. He was too tired for this and they needed to go.

"No, no" Eames said keeping his eyes on the smaller kid "How old are you anyway, _kid_?" but the boy wasn't provoked.

"Six" he said. And if Cobb wasn't who he was, he would have cracked up at Eames expression.

"You're kidding boy, there's absolutely no way you pulled that stunt together all by yourself, least of all at bloody six"

"You do what you have to, right?" he said "I don't think you were different at my age" and the other two had to look at each other at that, Eames looking suspiciously at the kid the second after.

"What do you want?" he asked. Not that they would ever act as they owed him. Poor people couldn't afford to be noble.

"Take me with you"

"What?" Dom asked. Now he was actually curious about the smaller kid. The _six-year-old_ kid. This was already feeling like a complicated thing.

"You've got to be kidding me" Eames snorted "There's absolutely no way we're any sort of kipping you, what you want us to play babysitter?"

"No" Arthur said, not minding the attitude "I know you're from another district, I've seen you looking around the area, I just need a lift" he shrugged.

Cobb was really curious now. First of all, if he hadn't been the first to say it, Eames would certainly have already told him to go and leave the crazy kid behind. But not only had they listened to him, they hadn't _left_ yet either. Normally they would already be running away but for some reason he just _knew_ that the Guards wouldn't find them now. And that was a first.

Second, the kid was only _six_. Six, and he had made the perfect get away. And not only that, he had noticed them from the start. So why-

"Why wouldn't you just leave?" Eames asked for him. And for the first time, the kid reacted by looking weary and looking over his shoulder.

"Those people saw you, the Guards too" he suddenly said "That means you'll have to be careful to leave, I just need to leave the district with you"

"Ah, so you wouldn't be able to just leave on your own?" Eames nodded with a smirk "You rich or something? Trying to run away from home"

"No"

Oh.

Eames gave a side glance to Cobb. They both understood now.

"Well, first, you should know that we're not about to act like we owe you!" he snorted "And if what you're saying is true, taking you with us could turn into a real mess for us"

"I'll pay you" he said seriously. That had them both with wider eyes.

"And what makes you think that we wouldn't just rob you before leaving, or give you back to whoever owns you?" and neither of them ignored the way the kid micro-flinched at the word.

"I don't have the money here. You have to go soon and not be seen, that means during night time" the kid said "and that means that you wouldn't be able to afford robbing me because I would scream and make a scene. And you like money"

Surprisingly, Eames was the one looking smug, not the kid, who had merely stated random facts according to his tone.

"If you want to leave so much, I don't think you can afford making a scene either" Cobb said this time while glaring at the kid.

"I can" the kid confirmed with what almost seemed like a peaceful expression. The two older kids looked at each other again before Eames threw his head backwards with a sigh and Cobb looked at the kid.

"Alright" he said "We gotta wait until it's dark"

"So what? We just sit here until then?" Eames asked with sarcasm. Cobb was about to say something when Arthur answered.

"I know a place"

"No, it's alright" Cobb said "We can stay here as long as no one is coming" he said with raised eyebrows to which Arthur shook his head.

"No one ever comes here, it's like a blind spot" he shrugged.

"Huh" Eames nodded "Well, dear Arthur, you see, I don't really care but as I'm bored and curious, which doesn't usually happen" _Yeah right_, Cobb thought "I'll ask, how did you pull that escape?"

"I don't tend to tell that to anyone, Mr… Eames, isn't it?" and Cobb almost laughed at Eames' expression.

"He's Eames, yeah" he was starting to like the kid, or at least he didn't dislike him so far "I'm Cobb"

"Cobb?"

"Dom" Eames corrected with a shrug. What was people's problem with his last name?

"Mmm" Arthur nodded, apparently satisfied with the name "well, it doesn't matter how I did it, but that I'm able to do it" he shrugged "I don't think you'd tell _me_ how you do those card tricks or how _you_" he looked at Cobb "pick people's pockets"

"Touché" Eames smiled "Do you usually pull stunts like that?"

"I don't usually have to" he stated and Dom had to gulp. Te kid's stare was so blank that he didn't know if he had just answered honestly or if he was making a point about how he didn't usually got caught as to use a distraction tactic. Be it as it may, the kid had balls. Eames was now squinting at him with a mix of amusement and indignity, as if trying to decide whether to laugh or punch the him.

"What were you doing there then?" Dom asked before Eames could make up his mind "I didn't see you taking any money" Eames and he looked at each other. Yes, neither of them had noticed the kid.

"I don't take money. I take stuff" and he pulled a coppery looking pocket watch. A very _familiar_ coppery looking pocket watch. Cobb could feel his eyes going wide as Eames swore.

"Is that a freaking Guard's?!" he strode over to Arthur, the kid looking weary and holding the watch tighter to himself. Eames didn't seem to notice "How-?! Did you- Did you just took this?!"

"Yeah" the kid said "They're not that bright" and that seemed to do it. Eames looked at Dom with a mischievous grin, as if about to ask whether he could keep the lonely dog as a pet (as he had already done a few times before).

"Alright kid, you've convinced me" Eames laughed "How did you get yer hands on this?"

"I try to take one every time they make a scene" Arthur shrugged, making Eames laugh louder.

"What for?" Cobb asked curiously.

"You never know when it might come in handy" was the kid's blank response.

…

Eames kept talking about food (it was after lunch when the whole thing had happened) and liked to eat after almost being caught. _If you get to eat another meal, then you must go and eat one_, he would say.

Arthur guided them through some roofs and lost alleys, before announcing that they were now at the other end of town, so the Guards wouldn't be a problem. There was a market set in a small road and they followed Arthur through it. Once at the other side of it, Eames was eating some bread and a green apple, Dom had a bag of grapes in his hand and a bunch of coins in his pocket, and they were both surprised to see Arthur with a little bag of blue berries in his hand.

Arthur then led them through some other maze of alleyways until they were in a little space behind some poor houses where some light still managed to enlighten it. They sat there then and ate.

"Alright" Eames began while eating the last piece of bread "Let's make something clear. We don't owe you anything. We're only helping you cause yer gonna pay us. And you better pay us" he deadpanned. Arthur nodded while eating a blue berry "Where do you have it anyway?"

"You really just asked that?" the boy asked confused, making Cobb smirk around a mouthful of grapes. Eames just raised his eyebrows with a shrug.

"We don't know of you really have the money at all" he said "You could just be lying"

"And you could just be lying about taking me with you"

"Well, yeah" Eames smiled "But that's your loss, not ours. We don't have money now, so it's not like we would be losing anything more than some hypothetical gain" and he gave a piece of bread to Cobb, the later handing him some grapes "And, like I said, we don't owe you, so we could just leave right now"

"He is right" Dom said "All in all, you're doing some really bad bet here. So either you're not that bright" a scoff from Eames right there "Or you're dumb _and_ desperate"

"I know" Arthur said blankly, making Dom and Eames glance at each other "I could tell you I'm desperate, but that _would_ be dumb. I could tell you I know what I'm doing, which could or could not be a lie. I could go stay with you until night time and not have any money or do have some. No matter which, you could just take it or not and hit me senseless and/or kill me and leave me in front of a station" he stated simply.

Dom and Eames looked at each other seriously. Everything the dark haired boy had said, whist true, was way more than what they'd do. They could leave him, yes. But hit the crap out of him was another topic entirely. It was not necessary what so ever, not that they'd tell him that. In this world, people better believe you are capable of anything they might imagine.

"Either way" the kid interrupted their thoughts "the point is, I would be losing no more than a hypothetical gain either" he shrugged.

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**So that's it! I hope you like!**


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